Entoku-in North and South Gardens
This season's opening
Autumn exhibition and evening viewing
- Hours
- Evening entry 17:00–21:30, gates close 22:00. Day from 10:00, no changeover between day and night. Closed all day Dec 11–12 (temple's official site)
- Admission
- ¥500 (¥200 secondary students). Combined discount ticket with Kodai-ji ¥1,200
- Booking
- No booking
The north garden, moved here from Fushimi Castle, can be seen after dark. A Toyotomi-family folding screen (Teikan-zu) is also on show 10:00–21:30
Cash only for admission, matcha and amulets (official). Kodai-ji across Nene-no-michi also closes at 22:00, so you can do both in one evening. Closed Dec 11–12
About the garden
Nene, Hideyoshi's widow, spent her last years here. The north garden is the forecourt of her palace at Fushimi Castle, carried over stone by stone; you sit on tatami facing a crowd of huge rocks. The south garden is quiet white gravel with raked lines. It is a place to talk about how each of you reacts to bold versus calm.
Where to stand
Sit on the edge of the tatami in the north study hall and look slightly to the left of centre rather than straight ahead: the dry-waterfall rocks and the Horai group settle into a few triangles. The stones are large and many, as Momoyama gardens tend to be, so decide together which one is the lead. The south garden is viewed from the Hojo veranda: raked lines and maple shadows on the gravel. Seen after the north garden, it changes your breathing.
Practical notes
Buy the ¥1,200 combined ticket at Kodai-ji or here to cover both temples. Matcha in the north study hall needs no booking and is served facing the garden; pay in cash. Evening openings run in autumn but not every year, so check the temple site before planning a night visit.
Tea and food nearby
Small places within walking distance. Check their opening days against the garden's.
- ☾ Open after the evening viewing7 min walkfrom Kennin-ji Gardens🍽 FoodGion Okaru (udon)
An udon shop in a Gion lane since 1925. At night it stays open into the small hours and fills with people who work in Gion, which makes it an easy late supper after an evening viewing.
Order：Ankake udon, or the cheese-and-beef curry udon
11:00–15:00, 17:00–2:00 (Fri until 2:30, Sat until 3:00). Sunday lunch onlyClosed: Sunday evenings¥1,000–2,000Details ↗ - ☾ Open after the evening viewing10 min walkfrom Jojuin Garden at Kiyomizu-dera (the Moon Garden)🍶 BarKohaku bar (Park Hyatt Kyoto)
A 16-seat counter bar in the hotel above Ninen-zaka, looking out over Yasaka Pagoda and the city. It serves until midnight after the evening sessions at Jojuin or Kodai-ji, and being a hotel bar it stays quiet enough to talk.
Order：A cocktail with the house gin made with Kyoto's Ki No Bi distillery
- 2 min walkfrom Kodai-ji Garden🍡 SweetsMugesanbo Salon de Muge
A sweets salon at Kodai-ji's north gate run by the kaiseki house Kikunoi. Take a garden-view seat for a slightly extravagant break between temples.
Order：Matcha parfait